1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to container caps or seals for liquid storage containers and more particularly to a floating container cap used to seal such containers. The invention further relates to a container cap for engine lubricants and fuels that is totally separable from the container and floats if accidentally dropped into water.
2. Background of the Art
People have long enjoyed working and playing on bodies of water using an assortment of boats or water borne vehicles. It has long been accepted as a part of this activity that traveling on water, either for work or recreation brings with it the hazard of losing any item not safely stowed on board or attached to a boat in some manner. People accept the loss of objects such as watches, sunglasses, hats, fishing tackle, clothes and other miscellaneous articles as natural casualties of being on the open water.
However, the loss of tools and major accessories or components used in the operation of a boat are not so easily dismissed. Often these items must be replaced immediately for safe or normal operation of the boat and at a great inconvenience or cost. One type of item that falls into this category are the various container sealing caps used for fuel, lubricant, or water supply tanks.
These caps are often fairly large in diameter, on the order of 2 to 3 inches, and made from very thick or heavy metal to withstand the rigors of people standing on them or general abuse. These caps are also made from materials that resist the corrosion of constant exposure to water or salt, all of which makes them very expensive to replace. Unfortunately, such caps are very heavy and sink quickly in water if dropped, never to be recovered.
Fuel or water storage caps are frequently removed for adding new contents to liquid storage tanks before any extensive use of a boat or an extended trip. This means that like an automobile, the tank or container caps, especially for fuel, are removed and set aside while the tank is filled at a pumping facility of some type. However, unlike an automobile, the pumping station is generally located in a marina or other facility with the boat in the water. This frequently leads to a large percentage of the removed caps being accidentally dropped or bumped into the water. Fuel tank caps, especially on larger boats, tend to be relatively expensive and sometimes hard to replace when the boat is in a remote location. Many fuel tanks, as an example, use custom size caps which must be ordered from the manufacturer. Thus, many boat users face substantial delays and expenses in replacing lost container caps.
There have been attempts to modify boat accessories or items used around water to prevent loss. Examples of this are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,693,605, 3,549,042, and 4,190,086.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,693,605, a flotation attachment for use on boat oars is disclosed which employs a relatively large air tight chamber secured to a middle portion of the oars adjacent to any oar lock structure. The sealed chamber displaces enough water to float the oars should they be dropped into the water. However, this represents the addition of a separate floating structure that increases the bulk and weight of the oars for normal use and storage.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,042, a series of air tight chambers are incorporated in the design of thin metal beverage containers to provide buoancy when they are empty. This invention is used to float empty cans so that they can be readily retrieved from lakes and streams to decrease the amount of sunken litter created every year. However, these air tight chambers are incorporated as part of a special can structure and only support light weight, empty, beverage cans. These air pockets cannot support a full container or be incorporated into other products.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,086 discloses a flotation system employing a floating collar for use in connectors for floating hoses. The collar is a special air tight chamber incorporated as part of the connector structure. The chamber provides some buoancy to prevent the connector from sinking deep into the water. However, this type of collar adds to the lateral dimensions of the connector, which may be useful for floating hoses stretched out on water, but not for use in container caps and the like which have strict size limitations. Increasing the lateral or radial dimensions of container caps makes them unusable.
An alternative for boats is to incorporate an attachment on the container cap to secure one end of a cable or wire to the cap with the other end secured to the boat. However, cables or wires present unacceptable hazards for injury or entanglement when located close to crew traffic patterns or deck walking areas. In addition, this technique presents an unsightly alternative most boat owners will not use. At the same time, the cap cannot be completely removed from the boats for servicing without extra tools.
What is needed is a method or device for preventing the loss of container caps, such as for fuel, lubricants or water storage tanks, when they are removed from the container near water or similar liquids.